[Mendocino County] First 5 Mendocino’s Molgaard to leave position following county appointment

Blog note: this article references a grand jury report.

Anne Molgaard said she still can’t think about her emotional decision to leave First 5 Mendocino to join Mendocino County’s Health and Human Services Agency as its new chief operating officer.

Molgaard helped build the local branch of First 5, an organization that promotes the health and safety of children during their first five years of life, from the ground up and has served as its only executive director for the past 15 years.

Though she is sad to leave, Molgaard is excited about the prospect of a fresh start for the organization as it recruits a new executive director.

 “It is hard to leave First 5 because I believe in the mission, and we have a great team and healthy commission,” she said.

Molgaard said she expects to start work with the county May 16 and said she would actually be working below new HHSA director Tammy Moss Chandler, who was also announced Wednesday by the county Executive Office as one of the new leaders of the HHSA.

Nothing has been discussed as of yet between the new HHSA leaders on what potential plans are in store for the future of the county department, Molgaard said.

After the release of the First 5 “white paper” last year that followed a critical grand jury report on the county’s Family and Children’s Services department, which for the most part echoed many of the grand jury’s concerns that in part referred to FCS as “understaffed” and “poorly managed,” Molgaard said she was surprised the county actually considered her for the position at all.

But because she was chosen, Molgaard said the county should be commended for embracing its criticisms and working to address them.

“The fact that I was selected was impressive,” she said.

Outside of her everyday duties at First 5, Molgaard also serves on the Ukiah Unified School District Board of Education, a position she was first elected to in 2011.

Because there is no apparent conflict of interest, Molgaard said she would continue to serve on the school board if she can make it work.

During the transition to a new job, Molgaard said one of her biggest challenges in starting with the HHSA will be shifting from working with a staff of approximately 15 to one of about 500 in what is one the county’s largest working departments.

Although that is the case, there’s at least one thing she knows that all of the HHSA staff members have in common when she walks in the door.

“I think what we all can agree on is to do the best job we can,” Molgaard said.

April 23, 2016

Ukiah Daily Journal

By Adam Randall